The Honorable
Governor of
Office of the
116 Veterans
20 W 12th Street
St. Paul, MN 55155
Mark Dayton
Minnesota
Governor & Lt Governor
Service Building
May 26, 2015
Governor Dayton:
The Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society is concerned about the implications of Executive
Order 15-10 to the management of Minnesota’s public trust wildlife resources. Wildlife research,
including capture and marking of wild animals, is a fundamental component of science-based wildlife
management. Science-based information is essential to making credible, fact-driven decisions for
wildlife populations managed in public trust by Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources.
The Wildlife Society (TWS) is an international organization founded in 1937 and is comprised of
wildlife biologists, managers, scientists, and other natural resource professionals. TWS’ mission is to
inspire, empower, and enable wildlife professionals to sustain wildlife populations and habitats through
science-based management and conservation. The Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society, founded
in 1944, was the first state chapter in the organization and is comprised of about 250 professionals
dedicated to conserving Minnesota’s wildlife heritage by supporting and developing the wildlife
profession within our state.
We strongly urge you to incorporate the need for wildlife research and the recognition of
professional standards into your decision making. Executive Order 15-10 directed a cessation of capture
and collaring of moose in Minnesota by DNR employees and future issuance of permits for capture and
collaring of moose elsewhere in Minnesota. We readily acknowledge the prerogative of the Governor,
as head of the Executive branch, to take such action. We do, however, respectfully disagree that such
an order was necessary before a more comprehensive review of the research practices employed by the
adult and calf projects could have been completed by qualified professionals.
Biological and ecological processes are highly complex and it is often impossible to understand
aspects of a wildlife species or population without directly handling individual animals for research
purposes. Wildlife biologists hold themselves to a high standard to ensure that the research practices
they employ will not adversely harm the species they have dedicated their careers and lives to conserve.
Members of TWS are also held to a Code of Ethics, which includes specific reference to the care and use
of live animals in research. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts, individual animals do occasionally
die in the pursuit of information to understand, manage, and conserve wildlife populations and species
on behalf of the public. It is unrealistic to expect that no individuals will die in this pursuit.
www.wildlife.org/minnesota
Moose are indeed an iconic species in Minnesota but their population is in serious trouble. Early
studies suggest that warmer temperatures from climate change are stressing moose, but the exact
causes of the decline in both the northwestern corner of the state and in northeastern Minnesota
remain largely unexplained. Technological advances in GPS and satellite collars in the last 10 years give
biologists a heretofore unprecedented ability to understand how and why moose populations grow or
decline. Likewise, technological advances in detecting bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens and
parasites in live and dead moose are also helping to shed new light on the mysterious causes of
Minnesota’s moose decline.
There is indeed some risk to individual moose calves and adults whenever researchers capture
and handle them. There is also a larger, unknown risk to Minnesota’s moose population that remains to
be discovered and appropriately addressed, if possible, to ensure the future of moose in the state.
We encourage you to commission an external review by a qualified third-party group of wildlife
biologists and wildlife veterinarians from outside Minnesota to ensure that best management practices
are used by DNR personnel in their moose research. We are hopeful a thorough review will shed light
on strategies that will permit all appropriate moose research, which may include capture and collaring,
to resume in the future so Minnesota researchers can continue learning how to keep moose populations
in Minnesota robust and sustainable.
Part of the mission of the Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society is to provide technical
expertise and scientific information relevant to wildlife biology and wildlife conservation in Minnesota.
We have direct connections to an extensive network of wildlife professionals throughout the Midwest,
the United States, and around the globe. This network possesses knowledge and expertise that can fill
critical information needs about wildlife and wildlife conservation. We encourage you and the
departments in your cabinet to call on our technical expertise in the future if the need arises (contact:
President-Elect Stephen Winter, PhD, Certified Wildlife Biologist®; email: stephen.winter@okstate.edu,
phone: 402-310-5460).
Sincerely,
Minnesota Chapter of The Wildlife Society
CC: Tom Landwehr, Commissioner Department of Natural Resources
CC: Nancy Gibson, LCCMR Co-Chair
CC: Sen. David Tomassoni, LCCMR Co-Chair
CC: Rep. Jean Wagenius, LCCMR Co-Chair
www.wildlife.org/minnesota